Frame-work for crates



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. T. LINDERMAN.

FRAME WORK FOR GRATES. No. 414,715. Patented Nov. 12, 1889.

K PETERS. Phalolilhugrmhu Wmhingtm (LC (No Moel. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.=

A. T. LINDERMAN.

FRAME WORK FOR GRATES. No. 414,715. Patented Nov. 12, 1889.

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-PATENT FFICE.

ALBERT T. LINDERMAN, OF WHITEHALL, MICHIGAN.

FRAME-WORK FOR CRATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 414,715, dated November 12, 1889.

Application filed April 11. 1889. Serial No. 306,822. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT 'l. LINDERMAN, a c tizen of the United States, residing in \Vhitehall, in the county of h'luskegon and.

State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Commercial Packages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of commercial crates, boxes, or packages; and it consists in the several features of construction hereinafter more fully explained, whereby the manufacture of the box, crate, or package is simplified and eheapened and the article itself made more convenient, cheap, and durable.

In the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part of this specificatiomand in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, Figure l is a perspective View of the completed box. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are views of the box in process of being put together. Fig.5 is alongitudinal section of the box and crate,

and Fig. 6 is a cross-section of the same.

Fig. 7 is an .isometrical' perspective view of one of the corners of the crate or framework of the box. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the ends of one of the pieces of the frame-work. 9 is an end view of the piece shown at Fig. 8, and Fig. 10 is Fig. 11 is a view of the triangular covering-plate to cover the extreme corner of the crate. Figs. 12 and 13 are top and edge views, respectively, of the serrated fastening-strip.

My improved package relates to that class of commercial packages in which a box is formed out of wood veneer or similar material in conjunction with angle-wood cornerstrips, which give to the wood-veneer walls the requisite stability to endure transportation while inclosing merchandise. 1 take the ordinary angleavood, made, as usual, with beveled edges, by preference, and constitute of it a frame-work of the desired dimensions and rectangular outline. The joining to- .gether of the pieces is effected by forming the end of the strip of angle-wood into the shape shown at Figs. 8, 9, and lO-thatis to say, in each end of each of the twelve strips, which when joined together will form the cubical frame-work, I cut away again a of a width and depth equivalent to thewidth and depth of one of the sides of the angle-wood, leaving a projecting portion or tongue 61-, consisting of the other side of the anglewood. All the gains correspond in dimension and shape with the tongues, so that the ends can all be shaped by the same machine and be rendered inter-fitting. At each end of the strip these cuts are preferably made to alter uate with each other-- that is to say, the tongue a at one end of the strip is taken from one of the sides of the angle-wood and at the other end of the strip from the other side of. the angle vood. In order to accommodate the bevel portion a the inner end of the gain a-is also out beveling at a "When three ends so out are brought together, they form a corner, as shown at Fig. '7, which is, even without any fastening, a strong and durable joint in resisting pressure from the outside. This joint is smooth or even at the several places where the angle-woods meet on the inside of the frame,-thereby furnishing a flush and. even bearing to the corner of the rectangular box-body which it incloses. For this reason a cubical frame constructed with this kind of a corner maybe employedeither with or without a veneer filling as a framework to surround goods to be shipped, and for this purpose it will be sufficiently secured together by a cord tied around the sides of the frame 'after the manner of an ordinary package. Such frame-works are, however, especially adapted to be used in conjunction with the fastenings which I shall presently describe and the veneer filling hereinafter explained.

hen the frame pieces are brought together to form the corner, as above described, it will be found that exactly at the corner a pyramidal depression Z) is left, owing to the wood of the sides not filling this space. This is thought by some to be unsightly, and in order to cover and conceal this depression I prefer to chamfer off the edge of the tongue to, as at a, so that when the corner is formed there will be at the corn er a flattened triangular surface; and this flattened triangular surface I cover by a piece of triangular sheet metal. (Shown at Fig.11 and lettered c.) This triangular piece has serrated edges, as c, which are bent down to form teeth, so that the metal piece can be secured upon the wood in posit-ion by simply driving it on with a hammer, when it will serve not only tocover the'space alluded to, but also in some measure to secure the parts of the joint together. In some forms of package, especially those which are intended to be subsequently corded, this triangular metal plate will be a sufficient fastening. In other kinds of packages, where greater security is required, I obtain this by driving nails through the end of each tongue, as. at- 61, into the side wood of the underlying angle-wood strip, either in conjunction with the triangular fastening or without the same. As a further security and either in conjunction with the nails and triangular strip, either I or both, or by itself alone, I sometimes employas a means of securing the joint against separation, where it is expected that the package will be roughly used, long and narrow strips of sheet metal 6. (Shown at Figs. 12 and 13.) These strips are made with toothed edges, which can be driven into the wood, and are applied, as shown at Fig. 7, diagonally across the corner on all sides thereof, and having their ends lapped or folded down, .as shown at Fig. 7. The form of the joint, as will be seen, is such, being shouldered in all directions, that the strips 6 may be hammered on without displacing the members of the joint, because the hammering will alw ys be against one of the shoulders.

I The serrated edge of the band-strip e is made by cutting the edge of the strip in such mannerin cuts of an acute angle that pointed teeth will be produced, as shown at Figs. 12 and 13. These teeth may be so bent, as is obvious, that when the strip is applied in the manner shown at Fig. 7 they will come in such position with relation to the grain of the wood in the angle-wood strips that the flat of the teeth will nearly coincide with the direction of said grain in each strip, and will not squarely cross said grain. the teeth to be more readily driven into the wood and avoids bending or buckling up the same when driven.

I make the veneer lining or body of the package or box as follows: I lay down first the four angle-pieces which are intended to form the bottom portion of the frame-work, as at Fig. 2. Then, having out two pieces of veneer to the right size to exactly fill the frame-work thus formed, I lay them down one upon the other, being careful to have the grain run in opposite directions. The pieces of the frame-work so laid down are marked A A and the two pieces of veneer G G. A second piece of veneer is then taken having the grain running in the direction of its length and long enough to form the sides and ends of the box when bent to a rectangular shape. This piece is shown in Fig. 2 and lettered H. At the places where the bonds are to be made to form the corners, instead of scoring or grooving the veneerylpunch entirely through the same a series of holes h-say about a This permits quarter of an inch in diameter and about a quarter of an inch apart. This perforation permits the wood to be bent readily to form a square corner, while at the same time suflicient strength is preserved. It should be noted that the bending of the wood will nearly close the holes upon the inner side, and in case of small holes and thick veneer will entirely close them. The best form of construction indicates that the piece H should be lapped and tacked at one corner, as at h. This piece H is now placed upon the bottom pieces G G, and it should be enough smaller in area to leave between itself and t-heframepieces A a narrow space suflicient to accommodate asingle thickness of veneer. Two other pieces of veneer J J are perforated and bent, as shown at Fig. 4, and one placed over the other, as indicated in said figure, and are brought down over the piece H. The grain of the pieces J J is arranged to cross and to run in the direction such thatthe grain in the downfolding flaps jj" will be vertical and cross the grain of the piece H. These pieces J J are placed down over the piece H, so that their lower edges restupon the pieces G G, for which purpose the narrow space had been previously left. 7

I have here shown and described a veneer box-body to combine with a crate-frame of angle-woods in such a way that each of the ends, sides, top, and bottom is furnished with two layers of veneer, with the grains of one layer crossingthe other. It is important that the several layers of veneer be so cut or scored, as the case may be, that they will fully and accurately fill the crate-frame in the direction in which the grain of the layers run, as the veneer does not shrink or swell in this direction of the grain, and as the crate-frame is greatly stiffened by being accurately and fully filled by theveneer. For this purpose the veneers should be accurately cut to fill the crate-frame in the direction which is lengthwise of the grain in the several pieces, and while I have here shown and described the manner in which I prefer to employ this feature of my invention, yet any method of forming a veneer box-body in combination with a supporting-frame of angle-woods in which all of the sides, ends, and top and bottom are formed of sheets of veneer crossgrained to each other and so cut as to accurately fill the crate-frame in the direction severally in which the grain runs would be within the province of my invention. The remaining members of the frame-work A A, &c., are now applied and the package, as shown at Fig. 1, completed, with the exception of the fastenings previously described, and shown in the drawings. This constitutes a package or box which may be readily assembled, framed, and put together, which may be shipped in the fiat condition, and, when put together, is strong, light, and dura ble. It will be noticed that the bottom pieces G G are braced against the sides H,

j, and j and the top, by reason of the downfolding parts j j, is braced against the bottom pieces. Thus the top and bottom are not likely to collapse under pressure from the outside when only partially filled.

I claim 1. The box or package consisting of an exterior an gle-w ood fram e-work joined together.

at the corner by gains and tongues, in combination with a veneer body composed of the two bottom sheets G G, the folded side walls H, having the perforations 72, at the foid, and the folded top pieces J J, having annular perforations and having the downhanging side strips j 9", substantially as specified.

The frame-Work for packages, composed of angle-wood strips joined at the corners by means of a joint having a similar interfitt-ing gain and tongue at each end of each of the three strips meeting at the several corners, substantially as specified.

3. The frame-work for packages, composed of angle-wood strips joined at the corners by means of a joint, having a gain and tongue at each end of each strip and having the corner chanifered off and. furnished With a metal plate 0, fastened upon the chainfered corner, substantially as specified.

4. The frame-work for packages, composed of angle-wood strips joined at the corners by means of a joint, having a gain and tongue at each end of each st.rip,in comgbination with serrated metal strips e, secured to and surrounding the joints, substantially as specified.

5. A rectangular crate-frame of angle-Woods joined at the cubical corners, substantially as set forth, and by means of similar inter-fitting tongues and gains upon the ends of the three several strips constituting such corners, whereby the inside of the corners is rendered smooth and even at the point of juncture, substantially as described.

, ii. The frame-Work for packages, composed of angle-wood strips joined at the corners by means of a joint, having a gain and tongue at each end of each strip and having the corner chamfered off, substantially as specified.

7. In a crate-frame, the corner consisting of three pieces of angle-wood all formed alike at their abutting ends, with an interfitting tongue and gain upon each, substantially as specified.

8. In a crate-frame, the corner consistingof three pieces of angle-wood all formed alike at their abutting ends, with an inter-fitting tongue and gain upon each, and means for holding them together, substantially as specified.

ALBERT T. LINDERMAN,

Witnesses:

H. M. ll'lUNDAY, EDW. S. EVARTS. 

